Original - North Central Michigan College Library

estore the prisoners and to join in the war;and the speech was followed by large presents,being part of the plunder of the fort, andwhich was previously heaped in the center ofthe room. The Indians rarely make theiranswers till the day after they have heard thearguments offered. They did not depart fromtheir custom on this occasion, and the counciltherefore adjourned.We, the prisoners, whose fate was thus incontroversy, were unacquainted at the timewith this transaction, and therefore enjoyeda night of tolerable tranquillity, not in the leastsuspecting the reverse which was preparing forus. Which of the arguments of the Chipewa,or whether or not all were deemed valid by theOttawa, I cannot say; but the council wasresumed at an early hour in the morning andafter several speeches had been made in it theprisoners were sent for and returned to theChipewa.The Ottawa, who now gave us into thehands of the Chipewa, had themselves declaredthat the latter designed no other than tokill us and make broth of us. The Chipewa,as soon as we were restored to them, marchedus to a village of their own, situate on thepoint which is below the fort, and put us into alodge already the prison of fourteen soldiers,tied two and two, with each a rope about hisneck, and made fast to a pole which might becalled the supporter of the building. .98